Mower-pitman.



S. L. GLUETT.

MOWER PITIVIAN.' APPLICATION FILED MAY14.1912.

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IVIOWER-PITMN.

LIQMZA.

Specication of Letters Patent.

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Application filed May 14, 1912. Serial No. 697,144.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, SANFORD Il. CLUETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hoosick Falls, county of Rensselaer, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mower-Pitmen; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rIhe present invention relates to agricultural machinery of the class including mowers and harvestingr machines such as reapers and binders, and is particularly directed to the improvement ofthe structure of the pitman rod employed to reciprocate the knife or sickle from the balance wheel in such machines. Owing to the great number of reversals of this pitman and the knife driven by it, which must be effected in the operation of these machines, it is necessary, ifeconomy in the expenditure of power is to be secured, that the pitman have great strength and` rigidity as compared with its weight. Not only is the pitman subjected .to severe alternate tension and compression strains but the transverse yreversals of the pitman by the action of the driving crank at theordinary speeds of operation exert an additional bending stress upon the material of the pitman rod which increases with itsv weight.

rIhe economic conditions governing the cost` of farm machinery precludes the employment of expensive structural innovations and it has long been sought to attain a strong Aand durable structure to fulfil, atl

moderate cost, the requirements of this element of the combination embraced within this class of manufacture.

It has been found that a solid bar of steel of a weight which would, not absorb an amount of power above that permissible, would bend and receive a permanent set vresulting in a mis-adjustment of the combined parts; while the employment of wood, having the required lightness and resiliency, presents diihculties in securing the metallic end connections -to the wood in such a manner that they will not be loosened by the constant and violent vibration.

In the pitman herein presented, I have provided a light and rigid structure of a form which successfully resists the severe' strains which is called upon to withstand,

article of manufacture.

ltherebetween of the ball D the I-.beam cross-section of the main reach with the web in the plane of rotation of the driving crank securing the required strength and rigidity, the sickle connection being integral with the main body-portion and the contact surfaces of the main body with the extension pieces adjacent ing box being of material which is not'subject to deformation under the influence of vibration, resulting in a markedly improved This pitman may be made of cast iron and still withstand the severe conditions which are imposed upon it.

I have illustrated my improved pitman structure in the accompanying drawings, in which* Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a mowing machine showing my improved pitman and the driving balance wheel in fuil lines, and the remainder of the machine in dotted lines; F ig. 2 is a side elevation of the pitman; Fig. 3 isa plan of the same; Fig. 4

is a detail, on a larger scale, of the extension end and journal box of the pitman; and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, a main body portion A of I-beam cross-section, which merges into an offset portion B at one end and terminates at'that end in a socket C, is adapted for engagement with a ball D upon the sickle. A clamp, which terminates in a complementary socket E, has an offset portion F, similar to B of the main body portion, and a thinner shank'G which ltits between the flanges of the I-beam portion of the main body and is riveted at H to theA web. 'Ihe shank G, though cast, is sufficiently iiexible to permit of the separation of .the sockets C and E for the insertion and to permit said sockets to be adjusted to the ball D by a nut I on a bolt J passing through holes in the offsets lB and F. The nut I is preferably provided with ratchet teeth K adapted to be engaged by a spring L .riveted to the web'of the main body portion at M to prevent the mis-adjustment of said nut. rlihe opposite end of the pitman is provided with transverse ribs N upon the upper vsurface of the head, and the lower surface of the base of the I-beam body, and the head and base are extended laterally at D, 0 to admit of the provision of holes for bolts P, whereby extension pieces Q provided with transverse ribs similar to those at N are adjustably secured to the main body portion A. 'Ihe exthe wrist pin bear- AS the Socket o is integral with the main body portion Aof the pitman and as the ribs N on the main body lportion A of the pitman and on the extension pieces Q are of the metal of these parts, and therefore, not subject to the deformation which would loosen a connection made between metal and wood, ,the pitman when assembled will, not shake apart. The web of the main reach of the pitman being set in the plane of rotation of the driving crank, successfully resists the tendency to bend and assume a permanent set occasioned by the quick transverse reversa-l of the pitman when in operation;

g The I-beam construction admits of the reach being made lighter while still retaininggreat strength and rigidity. The web of the I- beam section may be pierced with a number of holes to lighten the pitman without materially lessening the strength of this part.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A pitman comprising an integral metallic reach-member of I-beam cross-sectlon,

the reach-member and having a comple1nen' tary ball-receiving socket disposed opposite said first-named socket, said clamp-p1ece be ing provided with a tongue ittind between the upper and lower flanges of tie reachmember and secured thereto, and an adjustable locking bolt for exerting atension upon the resilient clamp-piece; substantially as described.

2. A pitman, having a reach-member consisting of a metal bar of I-beam cross-section at the pitnian end, said reach-member being provided with an ofset integral extension provided with a clamping'socket, and a coperating flexible extension secured to the I-beam between its flanges and having a complementary socket, said extensions being separated by an intervening space to permit putting the flexible extension under tension, and a tension-exerting screw boltfor drawing the flexible extension toward the integral extension; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

' SANFORD L. CLUETT. 

